Electric motor apparatus



Nov.

J. Fe4 MaoKAY 2,181,842

ELECTRI C MOTOR APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 7, 1938 ATTORNEYS Nov. 28. 1939. J. R. MacKAY ELEQTRIC MOTOR APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l Filed Oct. '7, 1938 lNvENToR ./an il. /Vm'ag' BY l K A'TORNEYS Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC MOTOR APPARATUS John R. MacKay, West Caldwell, N. J., assigner to Wallace & Tiernan Products, Inc., Belleville, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 7, 1938, Serial No. 233,842

5 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to apparatus of the kind patented in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,985,357, dated December 25,

1934, for Elecand to provide simplified and more economical means for biasing the rotor to a starting position. Other objects are to provide novel structure and combinations of elementsin a multi-contact motor arranged for a plurality of energizing periods in each revolution, whereby the chance of failure to start by reason of contact or circuit failure is greatly reduced; and whereby the reliability and range of utility of the apparatus are extended.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the invention is hereinafter disclosed.

Referring to the drawings, which illustratey of one type of improved motor.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, with certain parts removed and others shown broken away, of the apparatus shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of certain cooperating instrumentalities of the motor.

The motor comprises a stationary electromagnetic field or stator and a rotor.

The field comprises the two coils or electromagnets 20, 2| each of which consists of a coil of wire, and number of turns dependent of suitable size on the supply voltage to be employed and the power required wound on a frame or spool 22 of appropriate insulating material, such as Bakelite.

The rotor 23 at its extremities in thrust bearings 25, 25.

The

rotor 23 is secured to the shaft 24 by means of a bushing 26.

If desired, the rotor may be adjustably secured to the shaft by means of a collar and set screws as shown at i5.

y cited Letters Patent No.

i the above The Bearings 25, 25 are each so constructed as to constitute a thrust bearing and they are appropriately axially adjustable, lfor example, in the manner and for the purpose described in the above identied pending application Serial No. 80,264. The rotor bearings 25, 25, are respectively mounted in corresponding stationary plates 2'|, 28, which, together with the supporting posts 400, secured intermediate said plates as hereinafter described, provide a` supporting frame for the motor mechanism.

Although a single rotor 23 may be employed, for example as illustrated in the above identifled Patent No. 1,985,357, the preferred structure illustrated includes a supplemental armature or rotor 32, carried by the shaft 24 of the rotor 23, and secured to said shaft, and comprising a pery manent magnet astatically arranged (i. e., oppositely poled) with respect to rotor 23, to provide a ux-localizing means therefor. 'I'he supplemental armature or rotor 32 is thus arranged to rotate with the rotor 24, but conveniently exteriorly of the windings 20, 2|, within which the rotor 23 moves. 'I'he advantages of ux-localizing means of this character, including an avoidance of eddy currents and increase of efficiency, etc., are pointed out in some detail in the cited copending application Serial No. 80,264. Likewise, as there pointed out, the flux-localizing means may be embodied in other forms, for example, one or more non-magnetized iron members supple- `mental, to the'rotor 23 and rotatable therewith.

The field coils 20, 2| are automatically intermittently energized so as to produce rotation of the rotor 23, and to that end, two sets of motor contacts are provided. The structure of the contacts illustrated is substantially like that shown and described in the above mentioned pending application Serial No. 80,264, although it will be understood that other types of contacts may be employed, for example as shown in the above cited Patent No. 1,985,357.

In view of the more detailed description of the. contacts herein illustrated as the preferred arrangement, to be found in the specification 4oi? the cited copending application Serial No. 80,264, it is believed that the following description of these contacts and their operation will suice in the instant application.

'Ihe particular electrical connections employed may assume other forms, as for example those described in lines 18 to 84, column 2 of page 4 of the specification of the above cited Wallace Patent No. 1,985,357. However, the form of connections now preferred are illustrated in the wirspot of the eccentric50 passes the operating arm 35 of that particular set of contacts.

Referring to the wiring diagram (Fig. 3) it will be seen that a battery 200, which may consist of dry cells, is shown with its negative terminal grounded and its positive terminal connected with one terminal of each of the eld coils 20, 2|. The other terminals of the coils 20, 2| are each connected .to a corresponding one of the leaf springs 35, of the two sets of contacts 39-35, 393-35. The contacts 39, 39 are connected to ground. A resistance 20| and a condenser 202, connected in series and shunted across the contacts 35-39, are provided for preventing undesired arcing.

The design and connections are such that one of the coils 20, 2|, sets up a field exerting a. torque on the rotor or rotors during one-half revolution, and the other of the coils 20, 2|, sets up a field exerting a torque on the rotor or rotors in the same direction dur-ing the other half revolution. Thus (see'Fig. 4) one of the coils 20, 2| is energized when the N pole of the rotor 23 occupies 'positions in the arc X and the other coil is energized when the N pole of the rotor 23 occupies positions in the arc Y. This causes l torque to be exerted upon the rotor during substantially each entire revolution when the load is a maximum, i. e., the torque demand greatest, to maintain the desired predetermined constant speed. When the load is lighter, or the torque demand less, each of the coils 20, 2| will be energized during a lesser portion of the arcs X, Y.

The motor may be'utilized to control the flashing of a lamp, as shown and described i'n the cited copending application Serial No. 80,264 or for other purposes.

The posts 43, 5| are secured to the base 28 and serve not only to support the contact Vsets 35-39 35--39, but also to support the coilsv 20, 2| by means of suitable clamping screws 52 and -brackets- 53 engageable with the spools upon which the coils are Wound. Preferably, the base 28 and the posts 43 and 5|- are` made of metal in one piece, as by diecasting. i

Each of the plates 21, 28 is shown provided with a rim or iiange |35 around which a sheet |38 of Celluloid or equivalent transparent material is Wrapped to form a transparent protective cylindrical casing for thecomparatively delicate vmechanism mounted therein. The base plate 28 is shown provided with an additional flange |40 adapted to extend intoy the open end of the cup-shaped metal casing |4| which encloses the entire/motorand iiasher assembly. A gasket or washer |42 may be provided between the lower edge of the casing |4| and the shoulder provided' provided a stationary permanent magnet (33 in l are herein disclosed and claimed.

|43, are

the cited patent and |52 in the cited copending application) to insure that the rotor (or rotors) would be brought to rest in a position in which the field would be energized when it ywas again desired to start the motor. According to the present invention an improved method and means for attaining that result and providing more reliable operation under certain circumstances,

In the stationary permanent magnet arrangement above referred to the rotors would invariably be brought to rest in the same single angular position and with the N pole of the main rotor 23 always pointing in the same direction. In that position of parts, one of the two sets of motor contacts would be closed in the normal and intended operation so as to cause the proper stator winding energization to insure pick-up and starting of the motor upon closure of the main motor circuit. However, if that particular set of contacts had become dirty or otherwise faulty and failed to close their branch circuit in the single posi- -tion at which the rotor was brought to rest, the

motor would not start automatically as intended. The improved arrangement herein disclosed affords a better chance for the motor to re-start automatically under circumstances such as those just outlined, as will presently appear.

In accordance with the present invention, nonpolarized magnetic biasing means are provided, which serve to arrest the rotor in either oi two positions from which it may be started. In the structure illustrated, this biasing means comprises a pair of ironscrews 402, 403, which serve also to secure the end plate 21 to the respective supporting posts 400, 40|. 403, are, as stated, of iron, i. e., magnetizable material, but they are not permanently poled and they will only have such polarity as may be temporarily induced in them by the proximity of the rotor endsfwith which they cooperate, The designed construction and ,arrangement are such that when therev is no torque being exerted on the rotor or rotors by the stator 20, 2 I, the magnetizable screws 402, 403 will cause the rotor or rotors to assume an angular position as shown in full lines in Fig. 4 and in which the longitudinal axes of the rotors lie in a plane passing through the dotted line 404 as shown in Fig. 4.l However, the rotor or rotors may assume either of two positions, i. e. with the N 'pole of the rotor' 23 at the position 23a, or with`V4 the N pole of vthe rotor 23 at the position 23h (Fig. 4).

Thus ,bearing in mind that the sets of contacts are respectively 'closed as one end of the armature 23 (say, the N` pole) or more accurately one end of the center line 404, traverses the arcs X and Y in Fig.. 4, it will be seen that in `either of the two positions of rest the N pole of the rotor 23 will not invariably be in the same vsingle one of the arcs X and Y (and thus effect closure of .the same set of contacts) but may be in either of these arcs. If the rotor 23 invariably stopped in the same single position, as in the prior patent and application cited, and the particular set of contacts 35-39 corresponding to that particular arc had become deranged or inoperative the motor would not start automatically. According to the present invention, if one of the two setsl of contacts has been deranged the chance that the rotor will have come to rest in such an -anguiar positionas to cause resumption of motor These screws 402,

4rotor will have come to rest in a position where resumption of starting Will not occur due to the particular set of contacts assumed to have become deranged. In other words, in the arrangements disclosed in the cited prior patent and cited prior application, only one of the sets of contacts was utilized in automatic starting, and if that particular set of contacts had become deranged the motor would not start automatically. According to the present invention both of the sets of contacts are employed, one set at any particular time, for causing automatic starting. Therefore, the chance of successful restarting of the motor in spite of a failure of one set of the contacts 35--39 is greatly enhanced.

Again, as pointed out above, the rotor biasing means according to the present invention contribute to simplification of construction and reduction of number of parts by utilizing as the biasing means, the screws 402, 403, which are also a part of the structure of the instrument and have their other functions referred to above. It will be understood, of course, that the screws 402, 403 are received in suitably tapped openings in the posts 400, 40| comprised in the supporting structure of the motor. If the posts 400, 40| and the plate 21 are made of metal, as is preferable in many cases, the insulating washers 4|0, 4|0, which insulate the plate 21 from the posts 400, 40|, serve to prevent loss of energy due to objectionable loss-producing eddy currents which would otherwise occur. While the astatic arrangement of the rotor structure illustrated greatly reduces losses due to eddy currents that would otherwise occur in connection with the provision of a single rotor 23 with no flux-localizing means, nevertheless the washers 4|0 may be employed in the circumstances and for 4the purposes related. The provision of these washers, or similar means, is of `even greater importance where a single rotor without any flux-localizing means is employed. The relative angular position of the posts 400, 40| and the screws 402, 403 with respect to the stator coils 20, 2|, is clearly shown in plan view in Fig. 4, it being understood that the posts lie directly under the screws 402 and 403 as there shown.

It will be appreciated that the non-polarized .biasing means may assume other forms; for example, particularly where only a single rotor element 23 is employed, a non-polarized bar of ierrous material, such as soft iron, may be provided in the same position as the permanent magnet biasing bar 33 of the cited patent or like bar |52 of the'cited pending application.

\It will be understood that details of construc- 'tion of other parts of the apparatus not herein specically described-for example, other parts shown in the drawings-may conveniently be such as are described in the copending application Serial No. 80,264, hereinabove cited. It will be further understood that various features herein illustrated, or described are being claimed most advantageous embodiments thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the inventioi can be carried out by other means. Also, While it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combinations and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted and some of the features of each modiiication may be embodied in the others without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An electric motor comprising in combination, a stator including an air core solenoid, a permanently magnetized rotor mounted for rotation within said stator, means controlled by rotation of said rotor for energizing said stator more than once during each rotor revolution to produce a torque upon and rotate said rotor, and means biasing said rotor to one or another of a plurality of starting positions in cooperation with said iirst mentioned means. w

2. An electric motor comprising in combination, a stator having a plurality of air-core field windings, a permanently magnetized rotor mounted for rotation within said stator, means controlled by rotation of said rotor for successively energizing said field windings one at a time to produce a torque upon and rotate said rotor, and magnetizable means'biasing said rotor to one or another of a plurality of starting positions in cooperation with said first mentioned means.

3. An electric motor comprising in combination, air core stator means, a permanently magnetized rotor mounted for rotation within said stator means, a set of contacts controlled by rotation of the rotor for causing stator energization during one portion of a rotor revolution, another set of contacts controlled by rotation of the rotor for causing stator energization during another portion-of the rotor revolution, and magnetizable means for biasing the rotor into one or another of a plurality of positions for respectively operating one or another of said sets of contacts to start the motor.

4. An electric motor comprising air core stator means, a permanent magnet rotor mounted for' rotation within said stator, means controlled by rotation of said rotor for effecting an energization of said stator means during one part of a revolution, and for eiecting another energization of said stator means during an opposite part of a revolution, and non-polarized means for magnetically biasing said rotor in a predetermined starting plane transverse of its axis of rotation, whereby the'rotor is arrested in one or another of opposite positions respectively adapted to eect one or another of the aforesaid energizations.

5. An electric motor comprising in combination, a plurality of air core eld windings, a permanently magnetized rotor rmounted for rotation within said eld windings, means controlled by rotation of said rotor for successively energizing said ileld windings one at a time to Y produce a. torque upon and rotate said rotor,

spaced frame members for supporting the motor, and means securing the frame members together including non-polarized magnetizable securing means disposed for magnetically biasing said rotor into one or another of a plurality of starting positions in cooperation with said rst mentioned means.

JOHN R. MACKAY. 

